My first legislative session as Chair, I am extremely excited to announce that we have successfully secured the funding for our priority projects for Osceola County. Now this funding will go to the governors office for his signature!

At the opening of Thursday’s fourth annual State of the County Address, Kissimmee/Osceola County Chamber of Commerce Chairman John Newstreet told the hundreds in attendance at Osceola Heritage Park – with thousands of others next door to welcome Democratic Presidential hopefully Bernie Sanders – that they would “hear some great things about Osceola County.” Keynote speaker and County Commission Chairwoman Viviana Janer would not disappoint. With a population expected to reach 681,000 by 2040, and pass Seminole County by 2030, growth on multiple fronts and the planning for it are in a passing gear, she said.

“Those are big numbers, but we have big plans that will touch everybody in the county as we build a new Osceola County for the future,” she said. “There is no doubt the state of Osceola County is strong.” Janer pointed to 2017 when the UCF Therapeutic Equestrian Research Center, Poinciana Parkway, Valencia College, Poinciana College and the main event, the Florida Advanced Manufacturing Research Center will all be fully open. “Osceola County is the 19th fastest growing county according to figures, and it has recovered its pre-recession economic activity,” she said, also noting Osceola had recorded a higher GDP than Orange, Seminole, Brevard and Polk counties. “The first three months of our fiscal year have been strong.” If the county is the universe, the center of it would be FAMRC, which is coming out of the ground on the Judge Farm property south of Osceola Heritage Park and east of Kissimmee.

“It is grabbing world-wide attention,” Janer said. “It marks a further diversification of our economy from its long-time base of tourism and agriculture, and will help us compete in a global sensor research market with the help of our private and university partners.” But as economic drivers, agriculture and tourism aren’t getting moved aside by science. Over $109 million in agricultural products, mostly heads of cattle, were sold in 2015, and the county was recently annointed the “vacation home capital of the world,” Janer said. “Experience Kissimmee is building on that, and its place in social media,” she said, congratulating EK for becoming the world’s fourth travel marketing arm to reach 1 million Facebook fans. The people who visit the area, along with the hundreds of thousands who live where those people vacation, will find it a little easier to get around, at least that’s the plan. The widening of Poinciana Boulevard and Narcoossee Road were completed recently, restoring Thacker Avenue will soon begin, and the county’s second toll road, Poinciana Parkway, is slated to open April 30 to provide a new way to get in and out of the Poinciana area.

Those roads open up new areas for development in all directions. With Osceola County being the place where Central Florida will grow to – it has most of the last remaining empty space – Janer said the county must take the lead in planning. Long-range sector plans for the North East District and the North Ranch Sector Plan provide for protected growth and set aside ample land for permanent preservation. “We are planning our way to prosperity,” she said. Prosperity means having an affordable home for new residents to be able to buy, and addressing the county’s homelessness. The county purchased the Yates property north of U.S. Highway 192 and east of Old Vineland Road in order to build up to 200 units of affordable housing, in order to further work on the plight of families living in extended stay motels. With a construction manager in place for that housing, the county committed $1 million to the topic, including buying the land.

During Monday’s meeting of the Osceola Board of County Commissioners, Viviana Janer was elected the Chairperson of the Commission, becoming the first Hispanic Female commissioner to do so.

“This is such an honor and a privilege” said Janer “I look forward to the year ahead. We’re on a good roll here in Osceola with getting things done and we’re going to continue that moving forward.”

She takes over for Commissioner Brendan Arrington who served as Chairman of the Commission for 2015. The Board has taken up several big issues in the county including increases on expenditures tied to infrastructure, equality ordinances, and attempting to raise the living wage. Osceola county continues to grow with it’s neighbors in the region and has been working on initiatives in transportation, development, and tourism with Orange and Seminole counties.

Janer was first elected in 2014, and also serves on several regional boards including Metroplan Orlando and the tourism development council. District 4 Commissioner Cheryl Grieb was elected Vice-Chair.

Osceola County, Fla – Twenty Osceola County students were recognized with scholarships on October 6 as part of a Celebration of Hispanic Heritage held at Tupperware Brands headquarters. “It was exciting because we recognized outstanding students and, thanks to the Education Foundation of Osceola County, were able to award $20,000 in scholarships that will help them pursue their goals,” said County Commissioner Viviana Janer. The event was held in conjunction with Tupperware Brands and the Education Foundation of Osceola County – and included cultural music and dance.

Hispanic Heritage Month runs from Sept. 15 through October 15. In 1988, President Ronald Reagan expanded what was originally a week-long celebration started by President Lyndon Johnson in 1968. National Hispanic Heritage Month is an opportunity to honor and celebrate the rich cultural contributions and traditions of the Hispanic-American community.
“As Hispanics, we love our country. Making America great hasn’t always been easy or inclusive. We’ve accomplished this through hard work and the sweat of our labor,” said Janer. “We’ve fought, bled and died for it – knowing that as Americans we share a set of common values.”

“I’m a huge believer in education, so it is really important to me that this year’s event focused on the youth of our community,” Janer concluded.